The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-01-28
HnAPrNu 1T ON.

men entirely unfit to be recognized. II
would seem that he has, in some In
stances at least, gone entirely ont of his
way to select the most obnoxious per-
sons for the more important offices, and
among the last Of these was the appoint
ment of one Dabney as examiner of PEN
sions, a heartless scoundrel whose viii
famous instincts made him one of the
most findish of guards of Andersonville
prison, and whose inhuman acts ut that
time endowed him with peculiar quail
fications TO serve under the present ad-
ministration and in capacity to pass
upon the claims of loyal men.
Mankato has several ex-prisoners OF
that awful prison pen at Andersonville
who know this man Dabney, and know
him, too, as one of the guards who would
rather see prisoner die from starva-
ton than TO give him spoonful of
mush. NJ. l.. Webster, H. X. Lee, Ly-
man Matthews and VIM. Bruce, of Man
kato were all inmates of tins hell-hole OF
torture during the time Dabney and his
assistants held high carnival over the
thousands of starving and dying union
soldiers. Mr.. Webster recollects him
and noting the following communication
in the Fort Dodge, tlowa) Messenger of a
recent date, written by Fred. P. Calkins,
requests its publication in The FREE
Pass, which we willingly grant. 1t il
an outrage on loyalty 10 see men like
Dabney rewarded with such position
as he now occupies, aud ex-union sol.
diers are not alone in denouncing such
appointments.
The communication referred to il
printed in full;
Almost every paper We pick up lately
has something to say about Dabney. one
of the heartless, vIllainous guards of the
Andersonville prison, lately appointed
examiner of pensions. When / first
read of the above appointment my blood
grew cold and ! felt chilly; all my Elk.
perience in the prison period of the
South came upon me like a flash-that
no one but those who have been there
will ever know of.
believe the word Democrat as used
to denote the political party that now
flies its kite of disloyality is being very
clearly defined, when it will appoint To
Office man who has the stain of limo
cent blood ON his soul. We have men
in Webster county who say, what are
you going to do about it? An we can dc
is to keep these disloyal acts squarely
before the people, and / am satisfied
that in 1888 there will not be an old
veteran from 81 to 20 In their ranks
except it be some sore-head, or one who
thinks more of money than of comrade
or country. Comrades, bear in mind
always, that we have men in our midst
to-day who are as ready to strike a death
blow at you and our loyal institutions
as ever Thos. A. Hendricks or his broth
er in criminal plots, JET Thompson, but
thank God they were foiled in their
plans, and verify believe that the God
that brought them TO naugh
will not permit the same
spirit to trample on us and the
institutions we suffered so much to save
1t looks very much as though Cleveland
intended Dabney's appointment as q
we left in the miserable sand of the
South. Comrades, how many are now
living who were on Bell Isle in the win.
ter OF "a, when the James river froZe
over three times, having no tents, blank
small piece of corn bread and half PIN
pea-an attempt to skim them out would
be the loss of your soup? Starving, yes
starving; we must tramp day and night
to keep from chilling to death, and wher
tired and worn drop upon the ground
and sleep takes possession of you; but
the mind is still demanding food for the
body; In dreams you are in your north
ern home, loved ones are all there, and
the table is spread and it meyer looked
so well; suddenly you awaken chewing
your jacket-sleeve perhaps. How cold
you are and how the heart sinks. il
was dream for you are surrounded by
hundreds of men moving hither and
thither to keep from freezing. Remem'
Der this was the winter that our army in
the field suffered 80 from cold although
well supplied with clothing. In March
they commenced shipping us south, oul
destination we knew not until in about
six days the train stopped in the pine
woods and We were ordered out, and
enquiring of some of our friends were
told that iL was Camp Sumpter lHOv
known as Andersonville), destined TO bt
our home for many weary pefiths. anC
to very many their last resting place
Although warm and pleasant when VIZ
entered the stockAde the weather soor
changed TO 4eeo5id and rainy. At times i
woald almost hail. The great drops
Wolkd strike our unprotected bodies anc
NAT out with spatter. For nearly two
weeks not a dry rag could be found
among us, and no protection. But the
weeks wore on and the hot rays of the
sun began to tell on our chill weakened
and famished bodies. Disentery, dr.
scurvey and water scurvey. The watel
scurveY was the worst of the two, gener
ally commencing in the feet by swelling
until the skin would crack open; theI
the maggot fly would take possession
when, in short time, the poor victim
would be carried to the gate to be takeI
In the ration wagon to the trench, al
ready dug to receive him and the scores
of others that died each day. On thu
4th of July, 1854, took comrade an(
went to both gates on purpose to coun
the dead, and found one hundred ant
forty-two nearly naked forms of men
none of whom appeared to be over thir
ty years of age. The rebel authoritie
nowhere give over eighty as a dali,
death rate. The guards had to, or did
get in their work. / will relate but on,
instance. Hundreds had to stay clos
to the dead line. A boy in getting III
put his hand on the fatal strip. Tn
guard without word fired, killing hin
at once. In our crowded condition
So, 900 on eighteen acres, one ball an,
three buckshots could not come in anon
us without hitting more than one. Il
this instance one other was killed an,
two wounded, which meant death Il
terrible agony by maggots and gangrene
In the foregoing | have only given
glimpse of part of our prison life. TIL
records of the war department show tina
of 196, $50 actual prisoners of war VIII
were incarcerated in some one of tn
sixteen confederate prisons, no less tina
80, 900 died in prison and l33 per cent Q
the Survivors of captivity died Will
still in the service. The death rate
10 per cent greater than among ex-soi
diers who did not suffer prison life. Nj
own company's record stands thus: B
captured, of that number but IL return
ing. Last April, as near as ! could I'm
out, nine still lived. All we ask is just
ice. We want the memory of our com
rades who died in the prisons of Tn
South respected. Thousands could hav
saved their lives by taking the oath an
joining the rebel army, but they woul
not. We would have acted as hundred
did rather than repudiate the old fial
/ believe the time is not far distant whe
the rebel sentiment that is now on to
will receive rebuke that will give il
set -back such as it may not recover from
They of the South must not think be
cause we are diminishing in number
4 that the cause for which we suffered